"I Need a Makeover!"

After overhauling their lives, these inspiring women wanted head-turning transformations to mark the milestones. See how we refreshed and reinvented their looks — and how you can replicate their confidence-boosting style at home

Rita Cheng: Gave Birth Against the Odds

Rita Cheng: Gave Birth Against the Odds

Doctors told Rita Cheng her irregular periods meant she'd have trouble conceiving. So she and husband Eric Tran were thrilled to become pregnant in 2006. Then Rita miscarried — and went into an emotional tailspin. "I felt like a failure; I cried about everything," she says. The marriage suffered: "We weren't communicating; we felt alienated from each other." When things hadn't improved a year later, they did talk — about divorce. But right around then, Rita read Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love, and was inspired by its message of self-reinvention. The couple's relationship improved, and they took a cross-country road trip. Somewhere between New Jersey and Yellowstone National Park, they conceived; son Reilly was born last June. What's more, this former project manager has since launched her own photography business, turning a passion into a career. "I've made a huge transformation," Rita says. "This makeover is the finishing touch."